Gestational diabetes and its correlation with maternal socio-demographic characteristics

Background and objective: Gestational diabetes mellitus is the most common metabolic disorder of pregnancy with increasing prevalence at epidemic rates. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus and related risk factors in a sample of pregnant women in Erbil city. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a convenience sample of 216 pregnant women at primary health care centers in Erbil city, Kurdistan Region, Iraq, from April 2019 to January 2021. The pregnant women were selected independent of having or not having risk factors. Pregnant women were screened for diabetes mellitus using 50 gm glucose challenge test in 24–28th weeks of gestational age. Women with positive glucose challenge test underwent 100 g glucose tolerance test. Results: The 50g glucose challenge test revealed that 54 women (25.0%) were positive for gestational diabetes mellitus. Glucose tolerance test (100 gm) revealed that the prevalence of diabetes among the sample was 11.9%. The association between the different characteristics and risk factors with the diagnosed diabetic status of the study participants showed that there was a significant association with the older age, obesity, higher parity, and history of recurrent miscarriage. Conclusion: Pregnancy is associated with a high prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus in the current research. Pregnant women, particularly those in advanced maternal age, with pre-pregnancy high body mass index and having a history of recurrent miscarriages, should be investigated for the possibility of the presence of gestational diabetes mellitus.